The Encyclopedia of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) that existed from 1973-74 to 1976-77. The NAHL was spawned by the death of the Eastern Hockey League and is the inspiration for the 1977 classic cult movie 'Slapshot'.

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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Bruce Boudreau: A Pro Career That Started in the NAHL

NAHL

Bruce Boudreau started his impressive minor pro career in
the North American Hockey League with the Johnstown Jets in 1975-76. He played
just 34 regular season games with the Jets and nine in the playoffs. Yet, he
produced at nearly a point per game with 60 points on 25 goals and 35 assists. Boudreau
played 30 games in the World Hockey Association with the Minnesota Fighting
Saints, contributing just nine points.

At that pace, playing a full 74 game schedule, Boudreau was
on pace for 54 goals and 131 points. Very impressive potential numbers,
especially for a rookie, but a far cry from the league leaders that year with Alain
Caron scoring 78 and Joe
Hardy tallying 208 points. Both played for the Beauce Jaros. Bruce was
coming off an Eddie Powers Trophy year in the OMJHL, leading the league with
165 points on 68 goals and 97 assists in 69 games for the Toronto Marlboros. It
was his third of three years with Toronto.

Boudreau also appeared in nine games during the Lockhart Cup
playoffs. The Jets finished the regular season in first place in the West
Division but were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round.

Pro Playing Career

Bruce was taken in both the WHA and NHL Amateur Drafts. In
1974, the Minnesota Fighting Saints chose him in the first round of the WHA
Amateur Draft, 14th overall. The following year, the Toronto Maple
Leafs selected him in the third round of the NHL Amateur Draft, 42nd
overall.

Boudreau played pro hockey from 1975-76 to 1991-92 in the
NAHL, WHA, NHL, CHL, AHL and IHL, with also some time spent in Germany. He
appeared in 141 NHL regular season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and
Chicago Black Hawks. In 1987-88, Bruce was awarded the John
B. Sollenberger Trophy as the American Hockey League’s top scorer,
totalling 116 points for the Springfield Indians.

Coaching Career

Boudreau has been coaching since 1990-91 when he was player
/ assistant coach of the IHL’s Fort Wayne Komets. He has coached in the IHL,
ECHL, AHL and is currently a head coach in the National Hockey League.

Although a Stanley Cup has eluded him since his NHL coaching
career began in 2007-08, Boudreau won a Kelly Cup in the ECHL in 1998-99 with
the Mississippi Sea Wolves and a Calder Cup in the AHL in 2005-06 with the
Hershey Bears. Bruce is currently in his second year as head coach of the
Anaheim Ducks after four and some years behind the bench for the Washington
Capitals.